Stitch

I didn't know she (the internal medicine specialist) was going to take a sample until I got there or I would have given them a sample. I had to leave my old girl there and come back for her. When I asked exactly what they did to take the sample...over the phone this morning...I was just told that it was the way they always took samples and no other dog ever had any problems!! That's not what I asked but hey, just avoid the question! I paid $797 to get an ultra sound and this faecal test done!!! And I gladly pay it to hopefully and finally get a actual diagnosis but to see my old girl needlessly sick and to be told virtually that all dogs are the same, is just eating me up!

The specialist internal medicine vet took a faecal sample from my 12yo girl yesterday and last night she had the most terrible diarrhoea twice overnight and twice this morning. I phoned this vet to tell her and she said it wouldn't have anything to do with taking the sample. That other dogs she has taken a sample from were fine afterwards. Does anyone know exactly how they take a sample? I have worked hard to keep her IBD or pancreatitis or whatever it is (I can't get a proper diagnosis yet) and I was quite annoyed that this happened to my old girl.

Repro specialist told me that a great many bitches have phantom pregnancies...what varies is the degree of the symptoms & the length of time they last. So it is definitely not unusual. As long as you have faith in your vet you just have to wait it out. If you are concerned then it would be worthwhile to take her to a repro.specialist.

I tried my lot on it. I wasn't keen on the results...ie the poos. The magpies here aren't that keen on it either!

When my girl had to go on an elimination diet it was relatively easy as she had never had kangaroo previously. It's good that we give dogs a varied diet but if they have a diet that covers most proteins it becomes problematical if you have to find a protein source that they haven't tried. Goat always seems to be sold frozen here. Maybe try a butcher that sells in bulk and the Meat Market sounds like a good idea. Also Zantac is something that my girl has on a regular basis. It is worth remembering if you have ongoing issues.

If you have their phone number have you tried phoning them, especially of an evening?

The dosage rate she said was 1/2 teaspoon for every 10lbs which I think would equate to 4.5kgs of dog.

Ah yes. The powder has been recommended to use on my old girl who has IBD, pancreatitis, etc... by the internal medicine vet in USA. Friends in USA put me on to her...what a wealth of knowledge that woman has! Thank you for that link Trifecta. I will get some of that.

Yonjuro, can I ask what you use it for?

If you do use Slippery Elm Powder, what brand do you use? Is one brand better than another?

I settled on getting the freeze dried Green Tripe. It is less messy, less stinky and I can store it easily. It can be obtained from Pet Barn stores however I have found a cheaper place... http://www.naturalpetstore.com.au/d/K9Tripe/6/dry-dog-food/adult/k9-natural-freeze-dried-green-tripe-200g/ It smells yucky but my dogs & puppies absolutely love it. :eat: I am giving it to them several times a week as a pre-biotic.

Thank you for that recommendation WDL. I will make and appointment. I took one of mine to another IM vet several years ago and was not impressed.

That's good news! I guess the vet must have done an ultra sound to work out that the pups were stressed? I know I think back over the natural whelpings v's the C-sections that I have lived through with my lot over the years and wonder if C-sections were always the way to go. You have to have faith in your vet. Did the bitch accept the puppies OK and start to mother them?

First stage labour, may have puppies this afternoon or night. Good luck!

I have found over the years that this time IS the most stressful for both me & the bitch BUT I have always "known" if there is a problem just by observing the bitch. Steves advice to relax is good. If your friend sees any unproductive pushing (over 2 hours) or if the bitch acts like she is in trouble with behaviour that is unusual for her then it is time to seek veterinary assistance. Otherwise it is a waiting game.

Thank you Mita I will look into it. It would be really nice to find one in Brisbane if anyone knows the name of a GOOD one.

Does anyone know if there are any Chinese Herbalists that specialise in treating dogs practicing in Brisbane?

My old girl needs an internal medicine specialist who is really interested in solving the problem.

Sheridan, thanks for your post. I am happy to say NO it is not PLE. PLE is a genetic disorder most commonly found in SoftCoated Wheaten Terriers. The dogs develop an autoimmune reaction and they lose protein through their gut. Usually PLE is fatal in young dogs (like 4-5 years old). The serum protein levels I think would be low in PLE Epigenetics plays a large role in so many disorders, especially of an autoimmune type. Prenatal nutrition, nutrition during growth can turn genes on or off. I think many dogs with iffy stomachs and itchy skin have experienced “triggers” during gestation and growth. According to Dr. Ian Billinghurst (the BARF diet creator) it may taken numerous generations to correct problems that are due to inappropriate diet.

Her life is OK but then I am constantly watching her diet and her health and reacting to how she is. I have to listen to her stomach noises, if they are loud and easily heard I have to medicate her. I don't really call this quality of life for her or for me. Don't get me wrong, she appears quite happy and healthy however her condition can change in a very short period of time. She can be fine on Friday morning and Friday afternoon I am rushing to get her into the vet so I don't end up in the emergency vet on the weekend having to pay mega$$$ for treatment I can get Monday to Friday for 1/4 of the price. There has to be a better way to manage this situation.

I am concerned to put her back on dry dog food especially RC but maybe a different type of Hills might be OK for her now?? With RC it was interesting to find that a dry food that was supposed to be hydrolysed protein brought on an intolerance manifesting in serious itching. I am quite confused and there doesn't seem to be any vets that can give good advice on diet...or maybe I just haven't found them yet. Dry or canned dogfood is not my idea of good food but if it works for her then I will get it. It is the not knowing what will set her off and make things worse than they are at the moment that is getting to me.

This dog has a long history of gut problems. She gradually got worse and ended up with a BIG episode of bloody diarrhoea several years ago where she stayed in hospital for almost a week getting it all under control. She came out with the recommendation of her having Hills Z/d however it was an imperfect fit...poos were not well formed and she was mildly unwell so after about 4-5months on that I switched her onto RC Hypo and she was much happier and poos were good. After a long time on the RC Hypo she started to itch badly. Skin specialist said to put her onto a kangaroo & veg diet which I did and the itches completely went away. So for many months now I have been feeding her the kangaroo but she isn't a well dog and she isn't doing well on her current diet. She looks thin, her coat is dull and recently she has vomited a few times in the morning. There is no food in the vomit but it has flecks of blood in it. I have had her to the vet many times for what I thought was IBD. Vet gave me Zantac to give her anytime when her stomach started rumbling which was the signal that she was going to be unwell. It would keep things under control but recently it wasn't working and she was refusing to eat. For these times I was given a supply of Metrozine (Flagyl) to give her to stop things progressing to a full blown diarrhoea episode. It was very good at getting her back to eating again. I have felt for a long time that there must be more that can be done for her so I requested that they do a full spectrum of blood tests and it came back with Pancreatitis and mildly high creatinine. Because she had been unwell on and off for a while the vet decided to give her a broad spectrum antibiotic I suppose to ensure that there wasn't some sort of infection there. To me blood flecks in the vomit suggests an ulcer, and then there is the pancreatitis and the presumed renal disease. I will be a happy camper if the next blood test shows the creatinine levels back to normal. I have gone on for so long believing this dog has IBD, because this is what the specialist vet said it was years ago. Perhaps it is just a term to cover multiple problems. I will keep going until this whole thing is sorted but it seems to be very difficult to resolve.

What about ZiwiPeak Lamb,Venison & Tripe wet food? Anyone had any experience using it?

Yes I have to get the vege content down as she is getting terrible flatulence. I have been including sweet potato, celery etc. but apparently that is not good for a dog with my girls problems. This is really doing my head in. I am trying to feed pro biotic foods and will be trying very ripe bananas but she can't have too much of the green leafy veges. etc. You are right I will have to look up kidney diets.

Can't feed dairy with pancreatitis unfortunately.